CLEVELAND – Eddie Rosario stopped hammering and started to help the Indians.
The defending player, who has spent the past six seasons with the Minnesota Twins, signed a $ 8 million one-year contract with the Cleveland Indians on Friday, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday.
Rosario’s contract is pending completion of a physical examination, according to sources.
The Indians know Rosário, 29, well. He has been an enemy of rival AL Central’s Twins, hitting more career homers (22 out of 93 games) against Cleveland than any other team. He hit 11 of those home runs at Progressive Field, the maximum at any track stadium.
Early Friday, the Indians signed a one-year, $ 5 million contract with second baseman free agent Cesar Hernandez, who was a great free player in 2020 when he won his first gold glove.
Rosario is a big addition to the Cleveland field, which has been a problem for the past two seasons, as the team used a platoon of players.
After the Indians sent All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor and titleholder Carlos Carrasco to the New York Mets earlier this month and cut more than $ 30 million from their payroll, Chris Antonetti, the president of baseball operations for the team, tried to calm some outraged Cleveland fans by promising to put money back on the list.
He did this by bringing back Hernández and acquiring Rosario, who will provide the necessary pop for coach Terry Francona’s lineup after the losses of Lindor and Carlos Santana.
Rosario had his best season in 2019, when he reached his career record with 32 home runs and 109 RBIs in 137 games. During the shortened 2020 season COVID-19, he hit 0.257 with 13 home runs and drove in 42 races in 57 games.
Rosario, who was qualified for his third and final year of refereeing, became a free agent one season before the twins refused to offer him a 2021 contract. A left-handed hitter, he has a career average of 277 with 119 homers and 388 RBIs.
Hernandez’s deal with the Indians includes a $ 6 million club option in 2022 with no purchase.
Hernández, 30, was a valuable addition last season. He led the AL with 20 pairs and helped the Indians secure a place on the wild card. He hit 0.283 with three homers, 20 RBIs and 35 races in 58 games.
Cleveland acquired intermediaries Amed Rosario and Andrés Giménez from the Mets in exchange for Lindor on January 7, an All-Star four times entering his last year under contract and rejected several long-term offers.
The MLB Network first reported on Rosario’s business.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.